Zach Makovsky to Defend Belt at Bellator 65

Bellator Fighting Championships on Friday announced that bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky would defend his title against Season 5 tournament winner Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 65. The event will take place on April 13 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

“Our bantamweight division has been electrifying and has provided some of the best Bellator moments,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Zach and Eduardo are two of the greatest bantamweights in MMA today so this should be a really spectacular fight. We always have a packed house whenever we head out to Atlantic City, and I expect nothing less on April 13.”

Makovsky (14-2) has been spotless since arriving on the Bellator scene. Currently riding an eight-fight winning streak, Makovsky has won all six of his Bellator bouts, rolling through the Season 3 bantamweight tournament to become the first Bellator bantamweight champion.

“I want to dominate everyone I compete against, but at the same time, I don’t feel like I have to make any kind of statement,” Makovsky said.

Dantas (13-2) is on a six-fight streak of his own. He arrived last year for the Season 5 bantamweight tournament, working his way through a stacked bracket to earn his shot at Makovsky.

“I’m here at Bellator to win the Bantamweight Championship,” Dantas said. “I plan to not only win the title, but to keep it for many years to come.”

Bellator 65 will be broadcast live starting at 8 p.m. ET on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top local talent, will be streamed live and for free around the world on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m. ET.